Datblygu- The Peel Sessions 1987-1993

 If you know anything at all about Datblygu you'll know about the late John Peel's passion for them, and the exalted position that they hold in Welsh language music. For a group who performed solely in Welsh to record five sessions for JP was a truly remarkable achievement. David R Edwards is still (rightly) regarded as an icon of popular culture and consciousness in Wales.
Dave once told me that he had never seen a penny from the BBC releases. I had the good fortune to see him again not long back, and it's always refreshing to meet such a talented and culturally significant bloke and to realise what a sound and down to earth person he is.
It's somehow in  keeping with Datblygu's rather anarchic background
that a retrospective exhibition, Datblygu Trideg, celebrating thirty years since their formation, has been held in a waffle cafe.


There's a Datblygu website (in Welsh)  here...
And you can read about the waffle cafe exhibition here (in English) and here (in Welsh).


http://d01.megashares.com/dl/d9aAS4r/Datblygu- Peel Sessions 1987-1993.part1.rar
http://d01.megashares.com/dl/fnAaHAo/Datblygu- Peel Sessions 1987-1993.part2.rar

I've included a scan of the inner sleeve. It includes details of the personnel , producers, dates etc, but more interestingly Dave's notes on each song featured. (In English):   http://d01.megashares.com/dl/K2hT9gx/datblygu notes.rar

And while we're at it, isn't it about time that somebody translated Dave's autobiography,  Atgofion Hen Wanc into English?

Stereolab- ABC Music- Radio 1 Sessions (2003)

part 1
    Super-Electric
    Changer
    Doubt
    Difficult Fourth Title (John John Peel,30.7.91)
    Laissez Faire
    Revox
    Peng 33
    John Cage Bubblegum (John Peel, 28.6.92)
    Wow and Flutter
    Anemie
    Moogie Wonderland
    Heavy Denim  (John Peel, 28.9.93)
    French Disko
    Wow and Flutter
    Golden Ball
    Lo Boob Oscillator (Mark Radcliffe, 13.12.93)
    Check and Double Check 
    Working Title (The Pram Song) (Mark Radcliffe, 22.11.94)
http://d01.megashares.com/dl/IhDu3fx/Stereolab- ABC Music 1.rar

part 2
    International Colouring Contest
    Anamorphose  (Mark Radcliffe, 22.11.94)
    Metronomic Underground 
    Brigitte
    Spinal Column
    Tomorrow Is Already Here (John Peel, 15.2.96)
    Les Yper-Sound
    Heavenly Van Halen
    Cybele's Reverie
    Slow Fast Hazel (Evening Session, 26.2.96)
    Nothing to Do With Me 
    Double Rocker
    Baby Lulu
    Naught More Terrific Than Man (John Peel, 9.19.01)
 http://d01.megashares.com/dl/tT4FZzf/Stereolab- ABC Music 2.rar

 The SI taught us détournement...
Here's a label for you- Postmodern Retro- Futurism.
That was the nineties, halcyon days for postmodernists, when we could live in a faux sixties, Cool Britannia and Britpop, watching The Champions on teatime television and talking about maverick  footballers. Squeaky clean history. This music is everything . Qualities absent from the Yeh Yeh stuff, whatever pop music was played in May 68, or even from the experimental euro music it purports to mimic (that's a real old Moog, you know), abound here. Trippy.  
Highly highly recommended.


Though this world's essentially an absurd place to be
 Living in it doesn't call for total withdrawal
I've been told it's a fact of life
Men have to kill one another
Well I say there are still things worth fighting for
La Resistance!
Though this world's essentially an absurd place to be
 Living in it doesn't call for bubble withdrawal
It's said human existence is pointless
  Acts of rebellious solidarity
Can bring sense in this world   La Resistance!

Manchester, So Much To Answer For (1990)

The Fall Eat Yourself Fitter Buzzcocks What Do I Get

The Frantic Elevators  Hunchback Of Notre Dame The Chameleons Second Skin (Films) 

The Passage  Dark Times Blue Orchids The House That Faded Out

Tools You Can Trust Working And Shopping Twang Big Dry Out

A Witness I Love You Mr. Disposable Razors Big Flame All The Irish Must Go To Heaven 

The Smiths Handsome Devil Happy Mondays Mad Cyril Inspiral Carpets Directing Traffic 

The Railway Children Consider Dub Sex Swerve A Certain Ratio Do The Du 

A Guy Called Gerald Rockin' Ricki Ruthless Rap Assassins Three The Hard Way 

Kiss AMC Rawside New Fast Automatic Daffodils Big

I bet you've all been dying for a bit of Mick Hucknall on here?

A bit of a cash in on the (then) massive impact that Manchester was having on the popular music scene.
 Flaws? A Manchester comp covering roughly 1978-1990 with no Joy Division / New Order?

Stone Roses never played a Peel Session so they're not here either. Similarly absent and more of a loss - The Durutti Column and Frank Sidebottom . Anyway, what's here is, generally speaking, good. In places the sound quality is not great I'm afraid. (One of those 90's CDs that's turned a funny yellow colour...)

Stiff Little Fingers- The Complete John Peel Sessions (recorded 1978-1980)

Here's a band that takes me back to the miserable teenage years. Thirty odd years later and still nobody understands me!
Never mind the fact that they kept on touring and turning out records up until a couple of years ago, their first two or three LPs were enough to ensure them punk rock immortality. And they had hairstyles like ordinary blokes.
This music makes me think of Council Estates, Fairgrounds, Double Decker Buses, Division 4, Colt 45 lager, Ford Cortinas, Mayfair Magazine, Brut, Stuart Pearson and the TV shutting down at 11pm.  
If I had a red Adidas holdall now I'd get a felt pen and write SLF on it...

• Johnny Was
• Law And Order
• Barbed Wire Love
• Suspect Device

Transmitted -18/09/1978

• Wait And See
• At The Edge
• Nobody's Hero
• Straw Dogs

Transmitted -17/09/1979

• No Change
• I Don't Like You
• Fly The Flag
• Doesn't Make It All Right

Transmitted- 25/02/1980

• Jake Burns - Guitar, Lead Vocals
• Henry Cluney - Rhythm Guitar, Backing Vocals (Lead Vocals on No Change )
• Ali Mcmordie - Bass, Backing Vocals
• Brian Faloon - Drums, Concussion (tracks 1-4)
• Jim Reilly - Drums(tracks 5-12) 

Bratmobile- Peel Session September 10th 1993

In all things, the supreme excellence is simplicity- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Molly Neuman- drums, backing vocals
 Erin Smith - guitar
 Allison Wolfe -vocals

There's No Other Way/No You Don't
Bitch Theme
Make Me Miss America
Panik

Babes In Toyland - Fontanelle (1992) The BBC John Peel Sessions (1990–1992)

The second album from Babes in Toyland , their first release on a major.
Kat Bjelland - vocals,guitar
Lori Barbero - drums, vocals
Maureen Herman - bass
Produced by Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth

 

Kat Bjelland - vocals,guitar
Lori Barbero - drums, vocals
Michelle Leon- bass (1-12)
Maureen Herman - bass (13-16)

1. Catatonic
2. Ripe
3. Primus
4. "Spit to See the Shine
5. Pearl
6. Dogg
7. Laugh My Head Off
8. Mad Pilot
9. Handsome and Gretel
10. Blood
11. Mother
12. Dirty
13. Jungle Train
14. Right Now
15. Sometimes
16. Magick Flute

First broadcast:
1-4  29/09/1990
5-8 -30/06/1991
9-12 - 22/12/1991
13-16 -  25/07/1992

Stereolab- Peel Session, September 8th 1991

Tim Gane & Lætitia Sadier

Stereolab's first session for John Peel, transmitted September 1991.

Joe Dilworth - drums
Martin Kean - bass
Tim Gane - guitar
Lætitia Sadier -lead vocals
Gina Morris -vocals

Super Electric
Changer
Doubt
The Difficult Fourth title

Billy Bragg- Peel Sessions (1984-1988)

Saw Billy Bragg a few times in 1984 and again in 2009. Amazing, the bloke's enthusiasm for what he's doing doesn't seem to have waned one bit. And he talks a lot of sense about socialism.

The Pogues- Peel Sessions, April 17th & December 12th 1984

As a recovering alcoholic I approach The Pogues with the same trepidation as I would approach a yard of vodka contest. Back in the eighties their music provided the soundtrack for seamless days of manic drinking.
Finally plucking up the courage to listen to them again after five years has been quite a revelation- even if you're sober there's an uplifting joie de vivre in the music. I can enjoy this without putting on my coat and shuffling to the pub at half ten in the morning.
Shane MacGowan - vocals, guitar
Jem Finer - banjo, vocals, guitar on The Auld Triangle
Andrew Ranken - drums, backing vocals
Spider Stacy - whistle
James Fearnley - accordion
Cait O'Riordan -bass

Just a note: If you've ever downbloaded The Pogues Peel Sessions before, from blogs or torrents, it's almost a certainty that The Auld Triangle cuts out after 49 seconds? (Apparently some bloggers cobble things together without even listening to them...) well my friends, Burning Aquarium isn't like that...

Felicity- Orange Juice, The Wedding Present, James Kirk...

felicity
• noun (pl. felicities) 1 complete happiness. 2 the ability to express oneself appropriately. 3 a felicitous feature of a work of literature or art.
— ORIGIN Latin felicitas, from felix ‘happy’.
Oxford English Dictionary

Back in the eighties when I was trying to make the transition from conventional poetry to songwriting (ha!) this song was very important to me, and I still love it.

Three versions here:
Orange Juice- from the LP You Can’t Hide Your Love Forever (1982)
The Wedding Present- from the LP Tommy (recorded for Peel Session in 1986)
James Kirk from the LP You Can Make It If You Boogie (2003)
James Kirk wrote the song. He left Orange Juice in 1982 and became a chiropodist.

The Smiths- This Charming Man (1983)

One of those moments when a vivid, electric awareness of the power of music is born or renewed- Danny Kelly (NME)
...it imparted the first glimpse into the unknown dominion of Smithdom. The prelude now over, This Charming Man felt like The Smiths'concrete beginning.- Simon Goddard (The Smiths- Songs That Saved Your Life).

Tracks:
1 This Charming Man [Manchester*- produced by John Porter]
2 This Charming Man [London- produced by John Porter]
3 This Charming Man [New York Vocal, produced by Francois Kevorkian]
4 This Charming Man [New York Instrumental, produced by Francois Kevorkian ]
5 This Charming Man [Peel Session 21.09.83, produced by Roger Pusey- as featured on the LP Hatful of Hollow]
6 This Charming Man [1992 single remix]
7 This Charming Man [Original 7" version*, produced by John Porter]
8 This Charming Man [ Vinyl rip of original 7" version*, produced by John Porter]
9 Jeane [Vinyl rip of original 7" B-side, produced by Troy Tate]
10 Wonderful Woman [12" single B-side, produced by John Porter]

* On the CD multi single I have Sire Records rather naughtily overlook the fact that the original 7" mix was Porter's Manchester version . Therefore there are only 6 different versions of the track here.

Completists will be aware that Accept Yourself also featured on the B-side of the UK 12". It was an earlier version than the one used on Hatful of Hollow, which was from a David Jensen radio session- both versions were produced by John Porter. Here is the version that appeared on the B-side of the 12" single:

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark- Peel Session, February 21st 1983

Genetic Engineering
Of All The Things We've Made
Abc Auto-Industry
Bunker Soldiers (03/09/1979)

Line up:
Andy McCluskey - bass, vocals, drum machine
Paul Humphries - keyboards, vocals
Martin Cooper - synthesiser
Malcolm Holmes - drums
There was also a tape deck named Winston.

The album issue of OMD's Peel Sessions is a bit misleading on this one. Electricity was never played in a Peel session, but it is included on the LP as a bonus track. I can't find a recording of Bunker Soldiers from this, the fourth session (I used to have it on tape) so I've put in the 1979 Peel session version.
Andy McCluskey was a visionary, an immensely talented man. And then he gave us Atomic Kitten...

The Teardrop Explodes- Peel Session, October 2nd 1979

Brave Boys Keep Their Promises
Ha Ha I'm Drowning
Went Crazy
Chance

Line up:
Michael Finkler - guitar
Julian Cope- bass, vocals
Ged Quinn - keyboards
Gary 'Rocky' Dwyer- Drums

Joy Division- Peel Session December 12th 1979

Cock Jockeys? No fucking way!

Joy Division’s second session for John Peel was transmitted on December 10th 1979.

Love Will Tear Us Apart

24 Hours
Colony
The Sound Of Music

Joy Division-Peel Session February 14th 1979

Joy Division’s first session for John Peel was transmitted on February 14th 1979.
Exercise One
Insight
She's Lost Control
Transmission

The Adicts- This Is Your Life (1984)

Remember the TV show This Is Your Life, the red book?

This is a compilation album from Suffolk droogs The Adicts. The Adicts enjoyed great popularity in the early 80's and are one of the bands that have continued to bash out their energetic brand of Oi/ streetpunk for thirty years.

These boys have something of a Clockwork Orange fixation.
This LP brings together some of the the band's earliest recordings from 1978-1980, and includes tracks recorded for John Peel Sessions broadcast in November 1979.

This is a vinyl rip of the 1984 Fallout records release.

Keith 'Monkey' Warren - vocals
Mel Ellis - bass
Pete Dee Davison - guitar
Michael 'Kid' Dee Davison - drums

The Hepburns

On Monday 17/04/1989, two days after Hillsborough, John Peel opened his show with You’ll Never Walk Alone by Aretha Franklin. When the record finished he broke into tears …
The session that night was by Llanelli band The Hepburns. We’ve featured The Hepburns here before- and I’ll repeat my urge to readers to support these doyens of genre defying pop It was a good set.- available here, along with their later oeuvre. One thing has really been bugging me now tho for 20 years. On the track You Must Have Had It All what on earth is that first line?
I’ve lost touch with Matthew Jones so I can’t ask him, but surely someone must know?* **

I know the rest (apologies, Matt if you’re reading)
...the opportunist Denis Law,
Stanley Spencer,
A regent or
Egon Scheile, a little bit bent.
Zola, Lola Montez, Tommy Cooper's fez,
Burt and Hal and Marc Chagall
you must have had it all...

Sylvia Plath was like a lath, Carson McCullers was often slow, but never dull...

Albert Finney, Tom Courtenay, Paul Klee if I may,Yves Montand and his lifelong companion, Simone Signoret

.Dirk Bogarde in Night Porter or someone a lot shorter...

*Footnote: I pondered this so long and hard last night that it appeared in my dreams, when, I was assured the answer was Jim Bowen , Aznavour and... or was it Debord?
** See Anonymous' post below for the answer!
You can help me out by listening to the track on this neat little MP3 gadget:




Or if you want to dowload it:

Pixies- Peel Session, May 16th 1988

Black Francis - guitar, vocals
David Lovering - drums
Mrs John Murphy (Kim Deal) - bass, vocals
Joey Santiago- guitar
Pixies were the alternative band of the late 80’s. This is their first session for John Peel.

The Birthday Party- Peel Session December 10th 1981

This was the fourth Peel Session recorded by The Birthday Party. It features 3 tracks from Junkyard and a Rowland S Howard number called Bully Bones that I don't think appeared on any other studio recordings.

The Wedding Present -Українські Виступи в Івана Піла (1989)

Surely one of the strangest career digressions in the history of popular music- dour Leeds based indie guitar band The Wedding Present recorded a series of adaptations of Ukrainian folk songs.
This, the 2000, Fresh Ear Records re-release of Українські Виступи в Івана Піла, was expanded to include all three ‘Ukrainian Peel Sessions’ and Hopak, the song with which it all began, making it a complete collection of Ukrainian-themed songs recorded by The Wedding Present.
Peter Solowka – accordion, mandolin, tambourine, backing vocals; lead guitar on Hopak
David Gedge – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Keith Gregory – bass guitar
Shaun Charman / Simon Smith – drums
Len Liggins – vocals, violin, balalaika, flute
Roman Remeynes – vocals, mandolin